Responding to reports of deadly airstrikes in the Kanbulu township in the Sagaing region, Montse Ferrer, Business and Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International, said:
“Early reports of deadly airstrikes in the Sagaing region are terrifying. Unlawful airstrikes killing and injuring civilians and destroying homes are a hallmark of the Myanmar military, which goes to execrable levels to crush resistance and instill fear in the population. Myanmar’s civilian population bears the brunt of these disgusting tactics.
“The relentless airstrikes across Myanmar highlight the urgent need to suspend the importation of aviation fuel. Amnesty reiterates its call on all states and companies to stop shipments that may end up in the hands of the Myanmar Air Force. This supply chain encourages violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes, and must be stopped to save lives.
“Although some significant steps have been taken, the international community can and must do more to stop attacks on civilians in Myanmar.. These airstrikes come just shy of two years since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) five-point consensus was reached on Myanmar, which has utterly failed to stop the army’s atrocities.
“Instead of taking a backseat, ASEAN must step up and play a leading role in resolving the human rights catastrophe in Myanmar. The UN Security Council must find ways to push for effective action to hold the Myanmar military to account, for example by bringing the country’s situation before the International Criminal Court.”
General information
On the morning of April 11, the Myanmar military carried out airstrikes against a village in Kanbulu Township in the Sagaing region, according to early reports and images on social media. An unknown number of people, including children, are believed to have been killed in the attack. Amnesty International has not been able to independently verify the details.
Since the coup on 1 February 2021, Amnesty has documented widespread human rights violations, including war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, in the context of a wave of repression of the opposition by the armed forces throughout the country. the country.
In November 2022, Amnesty International launched a campaign calling for the suspension of aviation fuel supplies to prevent the Myanmar military from carrying out unlawful airstrikes. The investigation also identified companies that intervene in different links of the supply chain.
On the eve of the second anniversary of the military coup on February 1, 2021, several countries imposed new sanctions on Myanmar, this time targeting the aviation fuel industry.
The Government of Canada has decided to ban the export, sale, supply or shipment of aviation fuel to the Myanmar military. The UK also announced sanctions against two Myanmar companies and two individuals whom Amnesty International had identified in the report Deadly Cargo: Exposing the supply chain that fuels war crimes in Myanmar for playing essential roles in importing, managing and transporting fuel. for aviation to the Myanmar Air Force.
In March 2023, the UK announced a second round of sanctions against individuals and companies exposed in Amnesty International’s latest investigation into the supply of aviation fuel to Myanmar.
The European Union and the United States have also announced sanctions against a number of individuals and entities involved in the import, storage, and distribution of aviation fuel to the Myanmar military.